


half the world away

by rippedjuns



Series: cheolsoomas! [2]
Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Non-Famous, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Cheolsoomas!, Christmas Fluff, Don't Restrict the Cheolsoo, Dreams, Fluff, M/M, Separated by the Seas, We Don't Have That Many Fics Plz Let Us Live, World Leaders aren't the Greatest in this TBH, awkward idiots in love, how do i tag without spoiling things, slight angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-17
Updated: 2018-12-17
Packaged: 2019-09-20 14:32:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,697
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17024433
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rippedjuns/pseuds/rippedjuns
Summary: the world isn't a very nice place sometimes, especially for potential lost souls, but seungcheol and joshua learn to overcome that.





	half the world away

**Author's Note:**

> okay i know i'm meant to keep up with this and that xmas day is almost a week away, but i shall try and make more of them be quick drabbles i promise TuT  
> i've always wanted to write a proper soulmate au and i wasn't going to go with something basic for you guys because my fellow cheolsooists deserve only the best plots :)  
> i'm using a song from a john lewis ad to base this upon and honestly @my man john hire me plz
> 
> now playing - half the world away by aurora

the relief of finding your soulmate is a feeling that everyone dreams of in the new century.

people used to use the new technology of the period to find the person they are destined to be bound to, scrolling through social media and collecting data and options from various dating sites online. sometimes, people would even go to the length of finding other lost souls who were without a partner, and they would couple up with them instead - possibly leaving more lost souls on the planet than there already was. in fact, it was proven that in the 21st century, thirty four percent of humans were lost souls, left to suffer without either half a soul, a whole soul too big to handle on their own, or none at all.

the government knew they had to step in at some point, seeing as the numbers were becoming astronomically high. so by the middle of the century, all social forms of technology were forbidden in practically every country known to man.

finding your soulmate became a laborious task for each person, but it felt like a miraculous reward when the pair were reunited. most soulmates found in the recent years that their red strings of fate were shorter than usual, making it less tedious to find their partner and settle down. every young teenager hoped that their soulmate was close by, and that their half-soul was noticeable in their city, so they didn’t have to live in the dark loneliness for too much longer.

some rare cases are unfortunate, however.

some soulmates will never find out that their partner is dead, and cupid will lead them on an endless race for their lover where they will never reach the finishing line. others will end up dying early due to the pressure of containing a whole soul by themselves (some humans see it as an easy task, but all the emotions of a romantic couple placed into the body of one being isn’t a calm river to swim in).

there are also some, like our two protagonists, who are separated by the bottomless water source that used to leave humans secluded on their islands.

joshua sighed as he fell flat onto the memory foam mattress, feeling the material catch his weight and gently accommodate to his position. the doctors’ surgery was crowded more than the city centre streets today, and all he wanted to do now - after a stressful day of junior doctor training - was collapse onto his bed and sleep. however, for a lost soul like himself, free time to rest was never an option when the society he was settled in pushed the expectation of finding a soulmate on him. the oppression was a house of bricks without a door, leaving joshua to break through the barriers on his own with only his bare fists.

the californian sun peeked through the cracks of his window blinds, casting shadows and highlights across his bare face. even though it was winter, the heat of the west left snow to be a distant dream for those who were located on the coast, meaning that there were still people who willingly went around in bikinis and skin tight shorts. although for joshua, he opted for long and thick coats all year round, mostly because the doctors surgery’s boiler had been broken for god knows how long and they could drop to temperatures lower than it would ever be outside. joshua was also warm-blooded (a reason why his heart was also warm, his mother would say), so layering up was quite usual for him in the winter.

his little soul bounced up and down above his head, the turquoise flames dancing as it tried to coax joshua off of his bed. the human refused. all joshua wanted to do was making himself a green tea and binge watch another season of ru paul’s drag race before dozing off into a heavenly dream, awaiting for the morning to come around again so he could begin the tedious daily routine all over again.

not having a soulmate didn’t really help the fact that he was having to suffer in silence. the only person who could try and support him was his mother, but he never wanted to put his stress onto her. this is a mission for himself.

the soul - which he had dubbed cheollie (supposedly it was the conscience of the body foreseeing the future and knowing what nickname people will call each other) - stayed persistent, nonetheless, reaching out with its harmless flames to grab onto joshua’s collar.

“cheollie~, stop please, i wanna sleep.” the half awake man called out, watching the colour of the fire turn dull, as if it was pouting in sorrow, so joshua returned the same gesture. the soul brightened back to its normal hue, as if it had given in to joshua’s expression.

christmas was just around the corner now, and joshua knew that his parents were awaiting the day where they would have dinner together with a fourth person at the table - and his elders weren’t getting any younger. he really didn’t want to disappoint them, he wanted to share his love with those who raised him with the traits that he wears proudly every day, but for some reason, agape wasn’t ready to present him with that honour yet.

he wondered what his soulmate liked to do at christmas. did they like to wake up early to watch the sunrise over the hills? or did they prefer to sleep in and contain the heat underneath the sheets? were they one for playing video games after opening presents? or was watching cheesy movies one of their preferences? would they drown the night away with christmas themed cocktails? or would they linger in the memories with a cup of hot chocolate?

joshua couldn’t tell which combination was perfect. all he wanted was a person who had a good heart to love him until the day they die. he knew that day would be far in the future once they meet - as when he finds his soulmate, his life expectancy increases drastically.

alas, his soul resigned from trying, settling on his chest and radiating his warmth onto joshua’s skin. it felt pleasant. he knew, however, that the touch of his soulmate would be able to outdo any sort of heat presence in that sort of department.

gone are the days where people would be able to find their soulmates on social media - joshua didn’t even know what his soulmate looked like! - and it was upsetting that his parents were able to find each other at such a young age because of the fancy devices they used to tell him about. he was almost twenty five, and the average for finding a soulmate was generally eighteen. often, he would slip into a mental crisis - what if his soulmate was dead, and he would never find out? what if this was the size of his soul alone, and he was going to die from the pressure sooner than expected? what if his soulmate was one of the few would tortured their destined other halves by marrying someone else?

what if he was a lost soul?

no, surely he would know if he was a lost soul. cheollie wouldn’t be so persistent in leaving if his soulmate wasn’t breathing, wasn’t existing, wasn’t willing. cheollie would be somber, colourless, depressed. he himself would be depressed. life around him would wilt away, and everything would become monotone, monochrome, mono. one. alone.

joshua mentally slapped himself.

his sleep deprived mind allowed him to slip in and out of these moments, so he established that he didn’t need dinner today - not with the storm that his parents would cook up tomorrow as a christmas eve meal - and that he didn’t need to catch up with the christmas antics of the queens on the television, and allowed his eyes to flutter shut (he’s figured out that he can sleep in anything and everything, and he blames university for teaching him said knowledge). his mind soon settles and is at ease, as his soul hugs his body, keeping his heart beat steady as he loses himself to the comfort of a dream.

☆彡☆彡☆彡☆彡☆彡☆彡☆彡☆彡☆彡

_this bed wasn’t his._

_it wasn’t like he didn’t recognise the room - he had woken up in this empty room several times over the years. he knew that it was somewhere special because of the aura that flew about the room like doves seeking their flock, it felt hopeful compared other dreams he had found himself stuck in for the night (that was if his mind decided to dream that night)._

_however, something was a bit off this time when he lifted his head off of the featherdown pillows. the room felt a lot warmer than usual. he felt the shadow of a person continuing to hold onto his waist, as if the person had hugged him that way for the entire night and wanted to protect him until he could see the morning sun that day. a large sense of joy settled on his shoulders at the realisation, maybe this was the day he could meet his soulmate!_

_or maybe it was his mind playing tricks on him, giving him a false sense of hope when really he was stuck alone for the rest of his lifetime._

_pushing away the negative thought, joshua lifted his legs off of the mattress and unconsciously walked over to the back of the bedroom door, unhooking the velvet dressing gown from the hanger and wrapping it around his body to insulate the warmth that sanguinely was from his soulmate. he didn’t even bother checking his physical state in the mirror before slipping the fluffy slippers onto his feet and dashing out of the bedroom and onto the marble floors of the corridor._

_the castle was massive - he had established that when he first woke up in the lonely building with the maids and butlers rushing to his assistance as the king of the palace. so luckily his knowledge of the floor plan was helpful in navigating his heart towards his soulmate. bricks built up what seemed like an endless corridor towards the carpeted stairwell, and his pace picked up to reach what his heart lurched towards. something warm was radiating from the throne room, something that he begged to be near, seeing as his surroundings were similar to that of what he could remember of canada. after thirty seconds, he began running, chasing the ceiling lights that lit up the pathway that was causing him to speed through the mystical castle. the maids gave a concerned gaze when they saw their king rushing through his home, pausing their mopping of the marble floors to look up and see joshua already metres ahead, sprinting as if a wild bear was after his soul._

_why was his body drawn to the throne room? what is it that’s so special that it woke him up at seven in the morning to meet it? obviously, royalty has to wake up early either way, but joshua hated to wake up whilst the sky was still a deep shade of orange. that special moment was saved for nearing the sun’s departure, when his soulmate would hold his waist after a long day and sing with him until they fell asleep from their personal lullabies._

_his soulmate._

_could it be?_

_joshua held onto the banister as his feet unconsciously moved to race down the stairs, his mind not focusing on the danger of slipping on the cranberry rug, nor the shouts from the butlers to be careful of the ongoing traffic of servants. his mind was only thinking of one thing: what his soulmate’s name is; what his soulmate looks like; what his soulmate’s personality is like._

_it’s not until he pivots around the post to where the two velvet-cushioned thrones sat proudly that he sees his future partner, talking to the head butler before he is pointed in joshua’s direction. with his royal blue attire and a sapphire and auric crown complimenting his maroon curls and belgian chocolate pupils, he seemed completely and utterly perfect in joshua’s eyes. the world around them happened to stop when they met gazes, and joshua didn’t think it could get any more magical._

_he ran straight into his soulmate’s arms, which were wide open from the first step._

_neither of them knew what to say, and all that could escape their lips were gasps and sighs of relief. speaking the first words to your soulmate was an anxious act that made for a scary first task, and most people happened to be quiet fatigued after years of searching for the one, so the gods of time allowed them to bask in the moment of success for a short while longer as joshua felt what warmth truly felt like._

_he lifted up his head from the chest of the other, “are you really…?”_

_“i don’t think i can believe it either, gorgeous.” if it were any other guy, joshua would push himself away from the creep; but this was his soulmate, and the words that flowed from the latter’s lips were ones that he had desired to hear romantically for over two decades, so instead he grinned slightly, turning his head sideways as a giggle surpassed his lips. his soulmate took ahold of his chin with the smooth pads of his fingertips, so their eyes met for the first time in forever, and joshua could feel his pupils expanding at a rate that couldn’t even be measured because it was so fast. “it’s nice to finally meet you…”_

_“joshua. joshua hong.” he was close to not answering the question because he was so intrigued by the features of his soulmate’s face - the moles that painted his skin and danced with every imperfection under the glow of his natural melanin. “and you?”_

_“i’m choi seungcheol.” the named male responded, resting on hand on joshua’s cheek and the other on the latter’s waist. the smaller boy didn’t fail to lean in to the palm of his soulmate to feel even more comfort than he was already experiencing._

_“your name...it doesn’t sound american.”_

_“that’s probably because i’m from daegu,” seungcheol answered joshua’s query, “and that’s probably why we didn’t know of each other’s existence until this moment now.”_

_joshua’s smile widened, he was finally able to connect with the man of his dreams, the man in which it was written in stars for him to be with for the rest of eternity and beyond. he just hoped that his king wasn’t just a bedtime fantasy, and that he was somewhere in daegu, waiting for joshua to arrive in the city and for them to fall in love in reality rather than just in their dreams._

_“well, why don’t we break that boundary?”_

_finding themselves back in joshua’s quarters, the american male didn’t dare let go of seungcheol’s hand in fear that if he release it, the korean man would disappear into the wind. everything felt so cold before, a christmas breeze casting a cursed spell around his inner systems, but seungcheol somehow managed to thaw it so simply with a touch of his hand. is this what soulmates are like? could he melt jisoo’s heart like he did with the frost around his soul? he probably has already._

_joshua didn’t want to kiss him, though. not yet anyways. not until they were awake and conscious, seeing each other face to face in reality rather in the fantasy castle their minds created for each other. he just wanted to talk, get to know him a little better, and maybe even fall in love. he wouldn’t have to lean much further._

_it was lucky that seungcheol was everything joshua could’ve wished for and more; he was an engineer who had a passion for animals - which is why he was volunteering over christmas at a dog and cat café - and he happens to be the same age as joshua. he could live off of hot chocolate, but he had never really had a proper christmas roast, with his family believing in a traditional korean meal rather than whatever the americans seemed to do over the holidays. it was obvious that the information motivated joshua to rush over to korea as soon as possible - because who could live their life merrily without trying roast turkey and mashed potatoes? - and it made seungcheol all the more excited to show his soulmate all of the best street shacks in daegu, with their freshly cooked noodles and steaming tteokbokki leading customers from all walks of life to their stations like the pied piper._

_everything about seungcheol seemed enchanting - from his jolly laughter to his sparkling eyes - and joshua couldn’t tell whether he was going to wake up and for it to all be a dream, or whether seungcheol is a real man, living on a real street in a real city in this real world. he really hoped and pleaded that this was real love._

_the only way to find out if this really was make-believe was to plan something._

_“but aren’t you in america?” seungcheol asked after the suggestion was made, rubbing his temperate fingertips against the back of joshua’s palm. worry dripped from his lips, but joshua was not one to fear his own mind._

_“i’ll fly there. it might be expensive, but then again, you’re priceless.” his smile resembled one of a child within a sweet shop, gawking at the glorious shelves of confectionery on offer. the only sweet that joshua wanted, however, was the sugary lips that were the crown jewels of seungcheol’s face. “where should we meet, though?”_

_“suseong lake.” replied seungcheol immediately, “i mean, not in the lake, but you know…beside it.”_

_“i gathered that, cheol.” he giggled, the awkward charm of his soulmate made the male seem even more captivating. seungcheol followed in suit, and then they allowed their giggles to simmer into silence, with both of them left wandering amongst their thoughts until someone could figure out what to do next. joshua desired to take in all of seungcheol as if it was the last time he would see him, as if he was going to die when he wakes up, as if the world around him was going to turn to back and the curtains were going to be drawn. he wanted to study every quirk and for it to be retained in his long-term memory for a later date. he wished to bottle up seungcheol’s essence for safekeeping, so he could hold it close to him and reminisce in the dream world they supposedly created together._

_but sometimes, what you want is what you cannot get._

_so joshua would have to work to achieve his ultimate goal._

_love._

_“i guess it’s time for me to wake up, unfortunately.” joshua sliced through the silence with his sharp words, sorrow of their parting soaking their souls and drowning out their happiness for the last time. hopefully. “i promise i’ll go to the airport the minute i leave my bed - and i don’t break my promises.”_

_the older soulmate pulled the doctor into his arms for the final time in their fantasy castle, bathing in the warmth that radiated from joshua’s sunkissed skin. “until then?”_

_joshua nodded delightfully against seungcheol’s shoulder, “until then.”_

his eyes widened promptly, noticing that he was back in the room he last felt fatigued in. he was back in the real world. joshua assumed that slumber won the night before, seeing as he was still dressed in his work clothes - in fact, joshua didn’t remember much from the previous night. maybe it was because his mind was trying to keep ahold of the glorious dream that happened before, with himself and seungcheol–

seungcheol.

was his prince even a living being?

joshua was willing to find out.

“cheollie, wake up!” he shook his soul that slept peacefully on his chest, its half asleep eyes drowsily looking up to meet the excited pupils of joshua’s. “we need to get to the airport!”

☆彡☆彡☆彡☆彡☆彡☆彡☆彡☆彡☆彡

the taxi was driving too slow.

it was enjoyable to watch the early wanderers of christmas morning stroll down the avenues of daegu, and see the neon lights of the markets and groceries flicker against the soft rays of sun; nevertheless, joshua didn’t care about any of that nonsense at that point in time. he wished that getting from point a to point b could happen in a heartbeat, yet the roads leading up to suseong lake seemed to be endless, twisting and turning to make joshua feel even more sick and anxious than he already was.

as the miles between them became shorter, cheollie began to glow even brighter, its small smile elongating as they drew closer and closer to their destination. the light on the situation made joshua even merrier, and even if the sun decided to sleep behind the clouds for the rest of the century, his grin would never falter because of the illumination of azure next to him. the aquamarine incandescence shining against his arm gave him some sort of safety that he desired to confide in for the time being. nothing bad could happen with the soul protecting every inch of his body.

the immense volume of serotonin rushing through his capillaries resulted in joshua feeling like an excitable young boy receiving his coveted toy on christmas morning, or an apprehensive student waiting to receive their exam results, or an overwhelmed man who just won the lottery over millions of disappointed citizens. he was managing to achieve something in which he thought was hopeless only a few days ago, and if you told him prior to his dream that he was on the road to meet his soulmate in person, joshua would’ve definitely cackled in disbelief. it’s miraculous how a couple of hours can change an entire lifetime.

when the anticipated sign finally brought itself into view, joshua jumped out of his seat, the seatbelt struggling to keep itself together due to the american’s hysteria.

rushing to pay the taxi driver, the doctor leaped out of the car as soon as they reached the drop-off point, allowing his soul to race off in front of him to find his beloved. chasing after it aimlessly, he didn’t care to notice the soothing lake ripples forming by lonely singles skipping stones across the stream, or couples enjoying the early morning view of the city on a cycle boat across the lake. his feet dragged across the mud after hours of being stuck in seats, and now that all the energy has been built up, he could finally release it to finish the final stretch of his marathon of love.

robins rapidly fluttered away from his path, due to both joshua and his soul being blinded by the thought of having a living, breathing, dedicated soulmate all for himself. only a little bit of frost was speckled on the concrete paths, yet it still warranted joshua to wrap up in his treasured trench coat, despite feeling the warmest in the arms of the seungcheol in his dreams. could he even feel heat in his mind? either way, he wanted whatever the dream version of himself had with seungcheol. the close, immediate bond; the flawless, matching personality traits; the soft, delightful hugs. he needed this to be real for more than one reason.

he felt himself drawing closer to his destination. his heart rate picked up which made him wheeze every five seconds, his legs strode further despite wobbling like strawberry jelly from running to the opposite end of the park, his brain was running wild as if it had set itself alight with the gigantic number of thoughts dashing around each section. joshua continued to chase cheollie, and continued to trust in his soul’s instincts, because hopefully he should be reunited with seungcheol and his soul, and joshua could already see his future ahead of him, the path highlighted with a ruby red carpet. all he had to do now was persevere and keep on moving forward.

surprisingly, he was drawn to the gorgeous scent of lillies weaving its way through the park. the floral aura hypnotised himself and his soul to wander through the silent sectors of the lake reserve, and it was probably the only part of nature that he could actually concentrate on. was this the smell of his soulmate? or did he dress up for the occasion? either way, he couldn’t wait to wake up in the mornings and smell something so beautiful from such a beautiful person. even if it wasn’t his natural atmosphere, then the mystery behind it left joshua inticated, pulling him closer to the target.

closer to a new home.  
closer to a new future.  
closer to a new life.  
closer to choi seungcheol, his new lover.

joshua felt as if he was well and truly the lottery jackpot winner when he turned the corner and locked eyes with who he could only assume was his king.

standing with a bunch of calla lilies in between his palms, whilst a magenta soul similar to cheollie floated beside him with an identical grin, was none other than seungcheol.

hugging the older male felt just like déjà vu, but to be honest, joshua definitely preferred the comforting, relaxing and reassuring hug from the real world in comparison to when they resigned in their dream castle. it felt like it could last forever, and it was a hug that told joshua that it wasn’t the last time he would have this feeling rush through his veins like an olympic sprinter. even their souls couldn’t seem to break apart their hug, knowing that soon they were to merge into one whole soul.

“i can’t believe it,” joshua spoke into seungcheol’s shoulder before looking up into his sun-capturing pupils. “i can’t believe you’re actually real.”

“i was thinking the exact same thing.” seungcheol replied, cupping onto joshua’s flowering, rosy cheek before connecting their desperate lips together at long last.

as the icy winds glazed their backs, their chests glowed a toasty amethyst, heating up the entirety of their bodies as their souls bonded together after years of separation. joshua was right though, even with the lilies far from his nose, he could still smell the pleasant scent coming from seungcheol’s skin, which also happened to be just as soft as he had imagined back in the palace. seungcheol took control of the situation and slowed joshua down to preserve the delicate kiss they were sharing. he could feel joshua finally releasing all tension under his touch, and he himself felt the same. the tension of rushedly finding their soulmate was finally lifted from their shoulders, and now they could indulge in their reward on one of the happiest days of the year : christmas day.

joshua wanted to cry tears of merriment. after years of disappointed statements from his parents and his friends and his coworkers, he finally found someone so perfect in every shape and form - and he could feel that seungcheol was the one deep within his bones. they may have a far distance, but the doctor was willing to do everything in his power to be with seungcheol from dusk until dawn every day - even if that meant transferring from an american clinic to a korean clinic, or even quitting his job all together. love was such a powerful force that joshua could confide in it knowing that it would lead him on a successful journey with seungcheol no matter the circumstances.

he just hoped that seungcheol was willing to take the risks too.

as their first kiss came to a close, the beginning of their forever soon began. seungcheol smiled innocently at joshua, clearing his throat. “do you maybe want to come back to my house and watch some christmas films with me, shua?”

joshua kept a hold on seungcheol’s waist, and a new sort of feeling settled in his soul. the feeling of completion.

“i’d love that, seungcheollie.”

**Author's Note:**

> feedback is always appreciated!
> 
> ☆thank you for reading!☆


End file.
